No Bravery
by PixiesCanFly
Summary: Harry has won the final battle, but at what cost? He reflects in the ruins of Hogsmede on the horror that has occurred, what has been lost, and what he still has. Non-DH compliant. Songfic


No Bravery

Harry looked around the familiar village. There was carnage. He couldn't believe it. How could he have been too late? True, Voldemort was gone now, but at what price? Hogsmede Village was burning, dying. It had been destroyed by the Death-Eaters on their way to Hogwarts. The last place in Britain where they could not go. Voldemort had led from the front, supremely confident, throwing killing curses in his wake. Harry had fought hard, defending his home, they all had. He'd been with Neville, Sheamus, Dean, Ron and Hermione, but had lost them in the frenzy of the battle. He'd seen Kingsley, Tonks and Remus briefly but he'd lost them too in the violent carnage. He'd been alone when he'd finally caught up with Voldemort.

And now he was alone again.

This wasn't supposed to be how it ended. The Dark Lord was dead, gone. Everything was supposed to be all right. Numbly, Harry stumbled to where the Three Broomsticks had been, now a smoldering ruin and sat on a blackened lump of…something. Tears welled in his eyes at the sights he was seeing. He needed to do something, say something. He couldn't just sit there in silence. He sadly opened his mouth and began to sing a song that reflected where he was, how he felt. A fitting song to lament the loss of this town, of so many lives, of such innocence.

_There are children standing here_

Children. That's all that they were really; students at school, trying to do nothing but learn. They hadn't deserved to die like this.

_Arms outstretched into the sky_

_Tears drying on their face_

_He has been here _

There was no question as to who he was.

_Brothers lie in shallow graves_

_Fathers lost without a trace_

Harry's own father had been taken from him by this war, and those who he considered to be his family, his brothers. Their loss was still fresh for him, still painful, but seeing the sheer scale of the death here outweighed even that.

_A nation blind to their disgrace_

_Since he's been here_

They hadn't seen. Not for a whole year. He thought bitterly, remembering Umbridge, Fudge. They'd called him crazy. They'd lied to the public. They had blinded their people to the danger. It was partly their fault that this had happened.

_And I see no bravery_

_No bravery, in you eyes anymore_

_Only sadness_

He had seen the looks on the face of the students in the DA. They were excited. They had wanted to feel the glory and the glamour of war. They hadn't known. Now, he didn't know if they had survived or perished in this battle. He didn't even know where they were but he knew that they had all seen things that would have tarnished their concept of war as 'cool' forever.

_And I see no bravery_

_No bravery, in you eyes anymore_

_Only sadness_

Harry gulped, controlling himself, and continued with the song.

_Houses burnt beyond repair_

_The smell of death is in the air_

_A woman weeping in despair_

_Says "He has been here"_

Harry looked around him. He barely recognized this street as the one he had walked down so many times with his friends. There were only a few shops still standing. Honeydukes' windows had been blown out in the battle and the sweets torn from the shelves, rolled around on the floor, melting into puddles across the street outside. Zonko's was unrecognizable save for the odd firework shooting out of its roof. Even the Shrieking Shack had been hit. That was how they'd got in, the secret passage. With Dumbledore gone the wards weren't strong enough to keep Voldemort himself out.

_Traces are lighting up the sky_

_It's another family's turn to die_

_A child afraid to even cry _

_Out says "He has been here"_

The fires burned dimmer into the coming night as the song worn on. Obviously people were putting them out. Still trying to salvage what they could from the carnage. They had fought for their homes, fought hard and been hurt.

_And I see no bravery_

_No bravery, in you eyes anymore_

_Only sadness_

They had fought for him and lost everything they had. How could he keep going after that? Bitter tears streamed from his eyes as he spat the final verse.

_There are children standing here_

_Arms outstretched into the sky_

_And no-one asks the question why_

_He has been here_

Why had he done it? Why kill? Why hurt? How could he be so cruel?

_And I see no bravery_

_No bravery, in you eyes anymore_

_Just sadness_

_And I see no bravery_

_No bravery, in you eyes anymore_

Harry put his head in his hands, trying to choke out the next chorus but he couldn't. He shrank, transforming, and put his head between his paws. Suddenly a female voice carried through the air.

_And I see no bravery_

He looked up and saw Ginny, her face muddy and her hands still covered in blood from a bleeding gash on her side. She had picked up the song and was walking towards him, the silent message apparent in her face. You are not alone. We are still here. We are still brave. More voices joined in.

_No bravery, in you eyes anymore_

Harry turned to see Ron supporting a half conscious Hermione, tears and blood streaking both their faces. He had no doubt they'd been weeping over Fred and George, or another of the huge number of casualties that he didn't know about. He knew both of them were telling him silently that they loved him, despite all the pain they had endured for fighting behind him.

_Only sadness_

Another voice joined as Neville stumbled over, his right leg moving slightly out of synch with the rest of him, cradling Luna in his arms, still unconscious from a stunning spell that hit her right before the final battle. He added his voice to the melody.

_And I see no bravery_

_No bravery, in you eyes anymore_

_Only sadness_

Comfort filled Harry as he saw his friends were still there. They might be bruised, battered and broken but they were here, alive, and still supporting him, and that was all he could hope for.

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**A/N-** Thanks for reading. Reviews make me very happy.


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